“We know people are not going to be able to travel, so let’s not have people travel to the venues. Let’s have the clothes travel to the venues” – Louis Vuitton Chairman and CEO Michael Burke
This article was originally published by the much-respected JING DAILY*, a Moodie Davitt Report content partner.
When the last model appeared at Louis Vuitton’s Spring 2021 Menswear show in Shanghai, the crowd became charged. As he walked onto the runway carrying an inflatable doll twice as big as himself, everyone raised their phones, eager to take a snap.
“Oh my God, that’s Kris Wu!” Many in the audience screamed out his name. Shortly afterwards, the Weibo topic #Kris Wu Walks Runway With a 2M Doll (#吴亦凡背着两米高玩偶走秀#) quickly hit the social platform’s hot topic list.
At the same location, however, members of the GQ China team were not looking at Wu, but at their laptops, working to get a variety of promotional materials shot right before the show ready to distribute on different communications channels. The fashion show marked the second time Louis Vuitton worked with GQ China as a media partner to generate buzz for an important event.
In recent years, with ever-evolving changes in technology and consumer pursuits, the relationship between media and fashion brands have hit a “refresh” button regarding fashion shows. While the media may only have been able to amplify a brand’s voice in the past, it now can shoulder some of the responsibilities of putting creative marketing ideas into execution and communicating to a target audience for the brand in its own voice.
Jing Daily took this opportunity to learn about how Louis Vuitton presented a physical runway show in China, the country that first emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as how it partnered with GQ China to help it double its impact.
Why China?
For a brand rooted in travel, the on-going international travel restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has forced Louis Vuitton to rethink its approach to showcase upcoming collections.
But that doesn’t mean giving up the concept of doing a physical show. “I think fashion shows have to remain live. There has to be an audience. There has to be anticipation,” said Michael Burke, Louis Vuitton’s Chairman and CEO. “We know people are not going to be able to travel, so let’s not have people travel to the venues. Let’s have the clothes travel to the venues.”
Today, China continues to be one of the most important luxury markets, and Louis Vuitton supported the country when the initial COVID-19 outbreak began. It was among the first global luxury brands to make donations and to create posts to comfort the Chinese people.
Although marketing in China was rather quiet during the last Paris Fashion Week in March, again, due to COVID-19, the brand won 100 million impressions with its five posts from the event, which featured Kris Wu, its brand ambassador, alongside friends of the brand to boost morale for China’s hospital workers.
Louis Vuitton used the same approach for their pre-show promotions this time. One day before the show, Louis Vuitton invited Wu and other friends of the brand, including Ouyang Nana, Zhong Chuxi, and Fan Chengcheng, to create their individual teasers for Weibo. These triggered a total of 63,000 likes, almost 100,000 comments, and a whopping 620,000 shares.
The brand’s choice to present their first runway show in Shanghai was not by accident. China’s economy has been slowly recovering since the national lockdown lifted in mid-March, and consumer sentiment has warmed up. According to the global consulting firm Bain & Co, Chinese consumers are expected to contribute about 50 percent of total global luxury consumption by 2025 and it’s set to be a key driver for the rebound of the global luxury industry. By showing in China, Louis Vuitton made the right decision to bring some positivity and celebration to the Chinese people at this trying time.
What does Virgil Abloh want to say to China?
This was Virgil Abloh’s fifth fashion show at Louis Vuitton since being appointed in 2018. Although he could not fly in himself, the audience saw him as a giant doll on Wu’s back. With the title “Message in a Bottle,” Abloh brought the audience into a world free from discrimination and conflict, saying: “We can change the world, but we have to allow people a second to get up to speed and feel and hear, instead of other drastic means. I run a studio of optimism, and I have a general belief in good and beauty.”
As characters specifically built for Spring 2021, ‘Zoooom with Friends’ is a bunch of toys Abloh bought near his Paris studio. At the venue in Shanghai’s artistic West Bund, they materialized into giant dolls to safeguard Louis Vuitton’s cargo containers that were shipped from Paris in July. Meanwhile, they are also integrated into this season’s collection design.
Abloh assumes from a child’s perspective and imagines what the world looks like without inherited social preference. In an age of regional protectionism and rising tension between the world’s major economic powers, a show that breaks through barriers and amplifies unity is ever more important.
What Does GQ China Bring To The Table?
In addition to building momentum through fashion shows, Louis Vuitton is well-versed in using digital marketing to strengthen the brand. Earlier this January, it chose to work with GQ Lab, a WeChat account under GQ China, as a media partner for the 2020 Spring Menswear pop-up store. GQ China also manages the brand’s official Weibo account, and through strategizing hot fashion topics relevant to the pop-up, the team successfully helped Louis Vuitton drive sales by catching the attention of young consumers.